Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Resources
Consider the following resources not just for getting rid of stuff,
but for getting recycled things you need as well.
For more information on collection events for
household hazardous waste (i.e. oil paints and solvents,
insecticides, gasoline, chemicals etc.), call (703) 777-0187. The
county solid waste management website is
www.loudoun.gov/oswm.
Anti-Freeze:
used anti-freeze is accepted free-of-charge at the
Loudoun County Solid Waste Management Facility Recycling Center.
Hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Appliances: Get the longest
life possible and optimum energy efficiency from them by doing
regular cleaning and maintenance. Goodwill accepts working
appliances,
www.goodwill.org, or
you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them.
800/YES-1-CAN,
www.recycle-steel.org.
Donate to churches, thrift shops, Freecycle (see Miscellaneous).
Batteries: Automotive batteries are accepted free-of-charge
at the
Loudoun County Solid Waste Management Facility Recycling Center,
Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. You may also return a
used auto battery to the place where you are purchasing a new
battery. Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions,
734/467-9110,
www.batteryrecycling.com.
Rechargeable batteries are accepted at Home Depot store entrance.
Visit the
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation for additional
collection locations. Alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, C, D, etc.) may
be disposed of with your regular garbage; however, recycling options
are available for a fee at
www.batteryrecycling.com/household.html, and
www.biggreenbox.com/StoreFront.bok. Button batteries, such as
those used in hearing aids and watches may be returned for recycling
at the Wal-Mart jewelry counter, or they may be disposed at the
county's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events. Other jewelers
may accept them as well, but call first to confirm.
Bicycles: The Washington Area Bicycle Association sponsors
Bikes for the World, which collects repairable bicycles in the
United States, donating them to charities overseas for productive
use by those in need of affordable transport. A calendar of area
collection events is listed
here.
Blankets and Towels:
Donate to Paws for People, a local non-profit that takes animals to
visit people for the therapeutic benefits they provide. Drop on
front porch of 44 Main St.
Books:
accepted by many used book dealers. Refer to yellow pages under
"book dealers – used & rare." The
Loudoun Library Foundation
accepts used books. Phone: 703-779-2252. Visit the
Adopt a Library website, dedicated to encouraging and
helping people recycle books. Pro Quo Books buys large quantities
of used books, such as those remaining after library book sales;
call 410-633-0410 for more information.
CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send
scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo
video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they'll work like
new: 888/454-3223,
www.auraltech.com.
Exercise videos: Swap them with others
at
www.videofitness.com.
Cell Phones/Phones:
Used cell phones may be donated to the
Loudoun County Victim Witness Program, call 703-777-0417 for
drop-off locations. Call to Protect reprograms cell
phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims:
www.donateaphone.com.
Cell phones are also accepted for
recycling at
Loudoun County Electronics Recycling Events, Staples and
Radio Shack. Staples also accepts pagers and handhelds.
Collective Good will refurbish your phone and sell it to
someone in a developing country: 770/856-9021,
www.collectivegood.com.
Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814/386-2927,
www.reclamere.com.
Clothes:
Donate to churches, shelters, yard sales, clothing/coat/shoe drives
and swaps.
Once Upon a Star (540) 338-8383, Blue Ridge Hospice Thrift Shop
(540) 751-1680 Planet Aid Drop Boxes (yellow)
www.planetaid.org and World
Trade Co. (blue boxes) www.wtcva.com.
Dress for Success gives women’s clothing to low-income women
as they search for jobs, 212/532-1922,
www.dressforsuccess.org.
Use unwearable clothes for rags, or offer along with old towels and
blankets to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which
often use them as pet bedding.
Compostable bio-plastics: You probably
won't be able to compost these in your home compost bin or pile.
Find a municipal composter to take them to at
www.findacomposter.com.
Composting:
guides to backyard composting may be obtained by contacting the
Loudoun County Extension Office
at 703-777-0373 or contact the Loudoun County Master
Gardener Program (703) 771-5150
Computers and Other Electronics: Purcellville Computers at
338-6701 accepts computers, printers and monitors for a $10 fee to
recycle hardware. See
Electronics Recycling Information E-cycling Collection
events schedule
www.loudoun.gov/oswm/recycle/electronics.htm or call (703)
771-5318. Find the most responsible recyclers, local and national,
at
www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html
Eyeglasses/Hearing Aids
– Lions Club www.lionsclubs.org.
Lenses are reground and given to people in need. Dilzer Eye
Care in Purcellville collects eyeglasses for the Lions Club.
Fluorescent Light Bulbs,
Mercury Thermometers and Thermostats: Visit
www.knowtoxics.com for
recycling options. Bring to the County Household Hazardous Waste
Events. Do not discard with regular household garbage because of
mercury content.
Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take them
to an IKEA store for recycling:
www.ikea.com.
Furniture:
Accepted by churches and other charitable organizations, like Blue
Ridge Hospice Thrift Shop (540) 751-1680 or
www.goodwill.org
Metals, Scrap:
consult the local yellow pages for Scrap
Metals. Also, the Loudoun County Solid Waste Management Facility
accepts scrap metal, appliances, etc for recycling. See
Solid Waste Management Facility Hours and Services for more
information.
Miscellaneous:
Freecycle –
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleLoudoun
Offer things up on your local Freecycle.org ,
Craigslist.org,
Throwplace.com, or
iReuse.com.
iReuse.com will also help you find a recycler, if possible, when
your items have reached the end of their useful lifecycle.
Motor Oil: used motor
oil is accepted free-of-charge at the
Loudoun County Solid Waste Management Facility Recycling Center.
Hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Additionally, some
gasoline service stations accept used motor oil from customers (call
first). The
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality maintains a
list of such service stations.
Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202/682-8000,
www.recycleoil.org
Printer/Toner Cartridges:
accepted at Staples and at U.S. Post Office locations. To set up a
free toner cartridge collection program from your business, contact
Enterprise PC Services in Herndon, Virginia, 703-472-1232. Take
home-use ink cartridges to Round Hill Elementary to benefit the
school.
Recycleplace.com
pays $1/each.
Propane Tanks/Helium
Tanks: Grill-size or smaller accepted at the County Solid Waste
Management Facility. (Fee charged).
Sports equipment: Resell or trade it at
your local Play It Again Sports outlet, 800/476-9249,
www.playitagainsports.com.
Styrofoam shipping peanuts
and fillers: accepted at
packing and shipping stores, like Mail-It-All in Purcellville.
Styrofoam is not accepted at any of the county Recycling Drop-off
Centers. Call the Plastic Loose Fill
Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800/828-2214. For places
to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam
Packaging Recyclers, 410/451-8340,
www.epspackaging.org/info.html
“Technotrash”: Easily recycle all of
your CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, cell phones,
pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner
cartridges with GreenDisk's Technotrash program. For $30, GreenDisk
will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70
pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as
shipping and recycling fees. 800/305-GREENDISK,
www.greendisk.com.
Tennis shoes: Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe
program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring.
www.nikereuseashoe.com.
One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need
in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti.
www.oneworldrunning.com
Tires: tires are accepted for a fee at the Loudoun County
Solid Waste Management Facility. Tires with rims are
accepted, but an additional fee will be charged for the rim. Hours
are Monday-Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may also dispose of
old tires at the place where new tires are purchased (normally for a
fee – call first).
Toothbrushes and razors: Buy a
recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Recycline, and the company
will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber.
Recycline products are made from used Stonyfield Farms' yogurt
cups. 888/354-7296,
www.recycline.com.
Tyvek envelopes: Quantities less
than 25: Send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist,
5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234.
Quantities larger than 25, call 866/33-TYVEK.
Wire Coat Hangers:
Many dry cleaners will accept used
wire coat hangers from customers. Consult the yellow pages under
"cleaners." |
